Artwork by Debbie Hudock, Kent Island, Maryland for The Fem Word

Imagine a gender equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias

March 8th is International Women’s Day around the world. The theme is #BreakTheBias…and TFW is here for it! Our team got together and talked about the areas of our lives that are most important to us as individuals where we work everyday to build a more inclusive world.

The Fem Word is committed to sharing stories of bold women everywhere who, “call out bias, smash stereotypes, break inequality, and reject discrimination”…and we came up with a list of influencers, perspectives, and topics in support of representation of all people around the world.

Bold Words–The Power of Bias-Breaking Women Writers

~Emily Montague, Managing Editor, The Fem Word

For most of human history, the voices of women writers have been discouraged, co-opted, or silenced by societies that didn’t consider them valid. Trailblazers like Maya Angelou, Christine De Pizan, Sarah Winnemucca, and so many others have broken biases and barriers by refusing to back down when their stories and voices were challenged.

Today we are witnessing new opportunities and vibrant new voices enter the field in huge numbers. With the advent of self-publishing and digital democratization, women writers––from poets to journalists to authors––are present and powerful like never before. These girls and women are icons that demonstrate just how much impact we can have when we challenge biases and dare to share our words.

Check out this list naming some of today’s most influential women writers!

C Pam Zhang, bestselling author of “How Much of These Hills Is Gold”
Wayetu Moore, author of “She Would Be King” and “The Dragon, The Giant, The Women”
Naomi Alderman, author of “The Power” and other feminist speculative fiction
Amanda Gorman, national Poet Laureate and the youngest Inaugural Poet in American history
Pauline Harmange, controversial feminist writer, scholar, blogger, and advocate

authentically inclusive representation in the Film Industry

~Monika Samtani, Co-Founder, The Fem Word

When I look at the career of those I admire in the film industry who truly work to #BreakTheBias, actress/writer/producer/director Issa Rae (Awkward Black Girl, Insecure) stands out. She’s faced barriers - and broken them down time and time again. Issa is unwilling to compromise on her artistic vision - and that means including relatable protagonists of color, and featuring authentic content created by black people.

Issa was asked by The CUT about white male privilege and the obstacles to diversity, and her answer was thought-provoking:

“It’s easy for people to dismiss your history, dismiss where you came from. Just because we graduated from the same college doesn’t mean we have the same opportunities. There’s bias, even in the hiring process, and that’s something not enough people are aware of.”

In 2018, Rae was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world, and her HBO television series Insecure won big at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards, with the ‘Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series’ and ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’ awards. Looks like Issa Rae is well on her way to creating a “world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.”

History must adapt

~Quinn Terry, Editor, The Fem Word

Susan Stryker. Image via *The Guardian.*

Queer history continues to be viewed as an outlier in the grand scheme of the historical narrative. One must focus their entire career on queer history in order to be heard, a forced specialization in order to simply prove that queer people have existed throughout history. For many scholars who devote their lives to the study of the past, queer history is, quite simply, an elective one may take to prove a certain “dedication” towards acknowledging the folks on the sidelines…before going back to the heteronormative safety of the status quo.

To place queerness at the center of history? Well…that simply means you’re dedicated to not becoming well known. Many insist that queerness cannot be “superimposed” on the past - but scholars like Lillian Faderman, Susan Stryker, and Naomi Wolf are changing the narrative, and making queerness and history mainstream. Still, I wait for the day when queerness can take place in any historical analysis without having to be the only lens of analysis.

dance to your own tune

~Laura Hennawi, Contributor, The Fem Word

Singer and song-writer Billie Eilish never wanted to follow the expectations set on young women in music. In fact, she made her own genre and aesthetic that are truly her; from her distinct sound to her iconic style, she is an embodiment of her genuine individuality and her inspiring self-growth. At 20 years old, Billie is an inspiration to so many of us to keep being our genuine selves–even when the world doesn’t want us to. For that, Billie is working to #BreaktheBias for women worldwide, through music, clothes, and life.

“You’re allowed to change. You’re also allowed to not change. You’re allowed to wear anything and say anything and do anything and be anything.”

an Economic gap

~Meera Dahiya, Assistant News Director, The Fem Word

Illustration by Aiste Stancikatie for TIME

In the world of economics, a significant gap exists between data collected on how policies affect men versus how policies impact women. Furthermore, to an even greater degree, we often lack data on how economic policies impact women of color and women from different socioeconomic backgrounds. As a student studying economics, I have come to learn about the power of proper, complete data collection in designing economic policy. To build a more complete picture of the implications of different policies, it is important to collect gender disaggregated data. This means not only collecting data and running experiments to assess how policies will impact individuals in general, but more specifically, separating out that data by gender, race, class, ect., and making sure individuals from all backgrounds are included in data. Without understanding how policies impact specific groups of individuals, specifically those who are often left at the margins, we run the risk of making these groups seem invisible.

I first became interested in the gender data gap after reading Invisible Women, by Caroline Criado-Perez. She gives specific examples of cases where not having gender disaggregated data harms women. One example she gives is the bias in calculating GDP. Because GDP only takes into account paid work, and women do the majority of unpaid work, women’s work is often overlooked in the calculation of GDP. Much of women’s work is not seen as included in productivity. This can lead to policies which neglect the significance of women’s unpaid work. In order to get a better picture of how economic policies impact individuals from different backgrounds, it is important to collect data relevant to people of different backgrounds. Breaking the bias in the realm of economics starts with collecting better data that accounts for all individuals.

Rethinking Education

~Olivia Eisenberg, Contributor, The Fem Word

When a young boy asks for help with a math problem, his teacher insists he knows how to do it and encourages him to figure it out on his own. When a young girl asks for the same help, the teacher takes the pencil from her hand, and from over her shoulder, does the problem for her.

Professor and Assistant Dean KC Williams, University of Vermont, PHOTO via UVM College of Engineering

This common occurrence illustrates the unequal encouragement and confidence that is instilled in boys as opposed to girls in the realm of education. Male students are taught to speak their mind and make mistakes, while their non-male counterparts are conditioned to be timid when asking and answering questions out of fear that they might say the wrong thing.

The effects of this difference in upbringing are stark -- according to a 2014 study by J.P. Robinson et al, about half of the gender achievement gap in math can be attributed to the difference in perceived capabilities in girls’ and boys’ math abilities between kindergarten and third grade.

Breaking the bias in education must start early in a child’s education, but educators can still make a difference later on. University of Vermont Professor and Assistant Dean KC Williams (she/they) constantly strives for equity in the classroom: “I’m invested in providing a workplace environment that is safe (particularly those who have traditionally been underserved or are disenfranchised in society), and which is inspiring and enlightening.”

Williams also continuously dedicates themself to learning about racial and gender equity and recognizes that the traditional learning style isn’t always conducive to the best learning: “I feel strongly that learning can take place in a variety of environments and can include tools found in popular culture that may not traditionally be associated with the classroom or workplace. Therefore, I employ a multidimensional and experiential approach to learning using the tools that are readily available in our everyday environments, and incorporate them into staff and student meetings and retreats.”

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Fem Word organization. Any content provided by our authors are based on their opinions and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

International Women’s Day 2022: #BREAKTHEBIAS